


Out of Time

by torino10154



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Canon Het Relationship, Drabble, First Kiss, Multi, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-28
Updated: 2012-03-31
Packaged: 2018-01-10 04:54:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1155334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/torino10154/pseuds/torino10154





	1. Chapter 1

"Your heart isn't in it."

Harry stilled then went back to adjusting his collar.

"My heart's in it," he replied though his voice was unconvincing to his own ears. "This is what I am supposed to do."

"You're not supposed to marry someone you don't love, work at a career that doesn't suit you."

Harry whirled around. "I enjoy teaching."

"So it's just the girl who is the problem." 

Harry winced. He hadn't meant to give that away.

He looked up at his colleague—who was wearing his finest dress robes—and swallowed, suddenly overwhelmed. "What can I do now?"

~*~

"Life isn't a fairy tale, Potter. Sometimes you need to find the happy ending instead of expecting it to find you."

Harry gaped, beyond surprised. "What do you know about happy endings and fairy tales?"

"I know what it's like to be miserable." Snape stepped toward him, cool demeanor gone, fire in his eyes. "I know how to let happiness slip away without even knowing I held it in my hand."

Heart pounding in his chest, mind racing—why was Snape saying something _now_ —Harry said softly, "You don't think I should get married?"

"No," Snape breathed, "not to her."


	2. I'm Yours

Severus turned to go. He'd kept Harry from making a huge mistake. That was the important thing. What Severus wanted for himself… well, he'd never got what he wanted before and couldn't imagine things would change now.

"Severus," Harry said, the name foreign on his tongue and affecting Severus more than he would have liked. "Now what?"

"You get on with your life." His own voice sounded strange, far away. When he suppressed his emotions he often had the sensation of being out of his body. Numb.

"Wait, please," Harry said desperately. "I don't understand."

Something inside Severus finally snapped.

~*~

Severus turned and stalked back toward him, grabbed the front of Harry's finest robes in his stained and calloused hands, and pulled him into a kiss. It was rough, their teeth clacking. Their tongues tangled, each trying to force the other to retreat. 

It was so bloody _perfect_. 

Severus barely registered Harry's hands tangling in his hair, pulling him closer as if he wanted to eat him alive he was so lost in their kiss. 

Finally, after an eternity, Harry pulled back panting, his head falling to Severus's shoulder.

Looking at Severus, Harry asked, "Why did you wait so long?"

~*~

"I had no intention of saying anything… but I'm selfish."

_I couldn't bear for you to be with someone else._

Harry lifted his hand and tucked a loose strand of hair behind Severus's ear. "You aren't. You've done so much for me—"

"That's something else entirely." Severus waved off Harry's words. "This is for me."

Instead of pouring out his soul and spilling it like blood across the floor, he took Harry's hand in his and pressed his lips to it, eyes squeezed shut. 

Harry reached for Severus's nape, brushing his cheek against Severus's, breath hot on his ear.


End file.
